Bang the drums. Here comes the parade of but nows…
Who? Well, with conference play soon taking the floor in college basketball, it brings to mind all those preseason league polls back in October that were good signs for some, not so good for others. Being assigned way down the conference food chain long before the first game doesn’t mean you can’t make trouble once the shooting starts. But now…
Start in Lincoln, NE, with the program that has never won an NCAA tournament game.
Yep, Nebraska was voted to finish 14th in the Big Ten, with the Purdues and Michigans of the world small dots on the horizon. But now…
The Cornhuskers are one of the last seven unbeaten teams and their 15-game winning streak is the longest in the nation. They’re 11-0 for the first time in 48 years and started 2-0 in the Big Ten for the first time in nine years. That included a 90-60 plastering of Wisconsin and the first win at Illinois since 2016, when Pryce Sandfort scored 26 of his 32 points just in the first half. Their shiny new No. 15 ranking is their highest ranking in the AP Top 25 in nearly 35 years.
Three more months of this and Nebraska will find itself a very nice seed in the bracket in March. And then maybe the Cornhuskers can do something about that 0-8 NCAA tournament record. Not one win, which is something 239 current Division I members own, including every other member of the ACC, Atlantic 10, Big Ten, Big East, Big 12 and SEC. That’s not the way a program wants to be conspicuous.
“I think we have a very mature group but also we try to tell everyone to not be satisfied now,” forward Rienk Mast said, who in November had the school’s third triple-double in history. “We’re ranked, yeah, but that doesn’t mean anything.”
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Consider the bottom of the SEC pre-season balloting. LSU was picked to finish 15th, Georgia 14th, Vanderbilt 11th. Maybe it’ll still turn out that way, but now…
They’re a combined 28-2. Vandy is unbeaten and the fifth highest scoring team in the nation. The Commodores were ranked No. 13 in the AP this week, only two spots lower than where they were voted in the SEC preseason poll. They have not been held under 83 points yet and have won nine of 10 games by double digits. Georgia is 9-1 and is the highest scoring team in the nation at 98.3 points a game, with an 11-man rotation and getting nearly a fourth of its field goals from dunks. LSU is 9-1 and 30th in the nation in scoring but only fifth in the point-happy SEC.
Seton Hall was picked to finish last and Butler next to last in the Big East. But now…
The Pirates are 11-1 for the first time in 14 years and just smacked Rutgers by 22 points. They have held nine of 11 opponents under 70 with the nation’s seventh best scoring defense and have at least nine steals in every game. They beat a ranked NC State team by 11 points and their only loss was by two points to Southern California.
Butler is 8-2 and for the moment has the sole lead in the Big East. That’s because the Bulldogs have been in the only Big East game played so far, and a dandy it was, 113-110 in double overtime over Providence after 30 lead changes. Butler is 12th in the nation in offensive rebounds. Last season the Bulldogs were 313th. But we interrupt this happy feeling to grimly report the next stop is to Hartford, Tuesday night, to play UConn.
California was picked to finish 16th in the ACC, close enough to the cellar to hear Boston College’s heartbeat. But now…
The Golden Bears are 10-1 for their best start in 11 years. The win over UCLA was their first victory over a ranked opponent since 2020. California’s 9-0 home record will get a quick ACC workout with tourists from the east. Over 19 days from Dec. 30-Jan. 17, Louisville, Notre Dame, Duke and North Carolina — a combined record of 37-5— will stop by.
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Arizona State was picked 16th and last in the Big 12 and Colorado was 15th. But now…
They’re a combined 18-3. Colorado is 9-1 and won its first eight games for the first time in 76 years. The Buffs are the third-best 3-point shooting team in the nation, even though they’re 337th in attempts. Arizona State is 9-2 and advanced to the championship game in the Maui Invitational. They just rallied from 19 points down to beat Santa Clara 82-79, the 55-38 deficit halftime matching the biggest second-half comeback they’ve had in 37 years.
Colorado State was picked seventh in the Mountain West. But now…
The Rams are 9-2 — both losses by two points — and it’s pretty clear a big reason for the start. They obviously know where the orange ball is supposed to go. Colorado State leads the nation in field goal shooting. And 3-point shooting. And free throw shooting. No team has pulled off that triple crown for the entire season since the 3-pointer was legalized in 1987. Whenever a Ram puts it up from anywhere, there’s a 61.5% chance it’s going in.
That can be frustrating for an opponent. Colorado’s lone loss is 91-86 to Colorado State when the Buffaloes shot 62.1% overall and were still beaten. It was the highest shooting percentage in a Colorado defeat since 1978.
Columbia was picked to finish eighth and last in the Ivy League. But now…
The Lions are 9-2 and lead the nation in rebound margin at 14.3. This is from a program that has endured eight consecutive losing seasons. Kevin Hovde is the first man to go 8-1 in his first nine games as Columbia coach since 1950. The Lions aren’t going down easily at the moment. They were behind 14 points with 2:54 to go against Stony Brook but went on a 18-4 run in 2:24 to force overtime before losing 77-73.
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Tulsa was picked to finish eighth in the American Conference. But now…
The Golden Hurricane are 10-1 for their best start in 26 years, obviously understanding something about offense. They’re the only program in the nation to currently lead their conference in scoring, field goal percentage, 3-point shooting, free throw percentage and assists.
Richmond was picked 10th in the Atlantic 10. But now…
The Spiders are 9-1, and can match their entire win total from last season by Dec. 17. The Spiders’ only loss was by one point to Furman. Depth is a key asset. Richmond is averaging 43 points a game off the bench.
Buffalo was picked 11th in the MAC, Stony Brook 11th in the CAA. But now…
Buffalo started 8-0 and is 9-2, including a 13-point win at DePaul. Stony Brook is 8-3. The Seawolves won eight games last season, too. And lost 24. That explains the 11th place preseason spot.
But October votes don’t count. Lots of examples out there at the moment.
